Monday, April 6, 2009

KIDDIE CAB SERVICE

Every summer, I promise myself that I won’t register my kids for too many activities. I aim to keep our calendar as free as possible so that we’re not overbooked and have time to relax and visit with friends or family.
Somehow, our July schedule has been jam-packed and I have a new job – I’m my kids’ taxi driver. I now spend most of these hot, humid days in my tired-looking mini-van. Thank goodness it’s air-conditioned.
Here’s a little look at a typical weekday in my new career: Wake up, shower, get myself and everyone else dressed, fed, and out the door before 8:00 a.m. (no snoozing allowed; must have at least 2 full cups of coffee to get jump-started; don’t forget to pack snacks and drinks for the road). I drop off the first passenger at Fox Hill School for Reading Camp and then proceed to my next stop for my second passenger, the Recreation Building for Summer Discovery. From there, we continue to Simonds Park where my 3rd passenger gets dropped off for Club Simonds. Then, I get a little kid-free break that flies by as I spend it doing quick errands (food shopping, post office, bank, etc.). When the break ends, I return to the Recreation building to pick up passenger #1, and then proceed to Fox Hill to pick up passenger # 2 and take them both to an appointment in Lexington. At 3:00, I return to Simonds Park for passenger #3 and take all of them to the YMCA in Woburn for swimming lessons. In between stops, I can’t resist visiting the Dunkin Donuts drive-through to get my ice coffee fix.
Dinner is usually take-out because I don’t have time to cook a gourmet meal. By the end of the day, all the kids are exhausted and their driver is wondering how she got herself into this mess.
Maybe I wouldn’t mind being a taxi driver if the vehicle I drove was a shiny, new Mercedes SUV with a remote starter, navigation system and DVD player with dual screens. I’m not the only mom in this situation. I know there are a lot of us out there. In fact, I see the same people on my route day after day. We’ve even started waving to each other as we pass. We feel like we’re running non-stop all day long. The only problem is, we’re not burning enough calories – just a lot of expensive fuel.
One benefit of driving around town as much as I have is that I’ve discovered the spots where police cruisers park…waiting to catch someone speeding or violating a traffic signal. I make an extra effort not to rush and allow myself enough time for drop-off’s and pick-up’s to avoid getting in trouble with the law.
Another perk in my new field of work is the entertainment. My 3-year old is used to being on the road so much that she never wants to go home. When we get in the car, she asks me, “Where are we going next?” She also likes to sing her own made-up songs and gets mad if I put on the radio or try to sing along with her.
I only turn the stereo on for longer drives when she falls asleep to prevent me from dozing off, too. My son insists on listening to Kiss 108 which plays all the current hits he enjoys. I almost went into shock when I heard him singing, “I kissed a girl and I liked it…Hope my boyfriend don’t mind it”. I must hear that catchy tune at least four times a day which makes it difficult to get it out of my head.
My neighbor left me a phone message recently that said “Well, I guess you’re out dropping off one of your kids or picking up another one; or running back and forth between appointments…call me whenever you get back in your house.” – this made me laugh, even though it was the absolute truth. I spend most of my day in the car. I sometimes eat my breakfast or lunch in the car; make phone calls, read, or nap in the car; and even do my bills in the car.
If I earned cab fare, it would be well worth it. Maybe I’ll start my own Kiddie Cab service. The number one rule for passengers will be: No eating or drinking allowed in the vehicle. How many of us say this all the time, especially after we spend a pretty penny getting the car professionally detailed, and then somehow, the goldfish crackers, chips, lollipops, pretzels, French fries, gum, juice boxes, m&m’s, etc. find their way back into our car and we’re right back where we started in a matter of minutes.
When school starts again, things will get back to normal. The bus will bring my kids to school in the morning and I will pick them up in the afternoon from the same single location. I’ll have some more solid, uninterrupted time to actually get things done at home like laundry, cleaning, cooking, working, etc. It will still be hectic, but I won’t have to spend as much time in the car, carting the kids here, there and everywhere.
I may be calling the Recreation office to cancel everything we have planned for August – I know I’ll get slapped with $5 fees for each class, but I don’t care. This taxi driver needs a vacation!

Joanna Kaselis Tzouvelis is a Burlington resident and columnist…please e-mail her at jtzouvelis@comcast.net to share your kiddie cab stories.